Removable window tray



Nov. 22, 1949 J. F. LIVINGSTON REMOVABLE WINDOW TRAY Filed April 22, 1947 INVENTOR, ivingsion,

John Frederick L ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 22, 194.)

UNITED S TATES 2,488,870 REMOVABLE WINDOW TRAY John Frederick. Livingston, WilIiamsport;Pa.

Application April '22, 194%. swarm: 743,041:

(emu-s8)" .6 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to trays for supporting potted plants on window sills. An object of'the invention is the provisionof a tray for supporting potted plants on window sills, said tray being readily removable and being applied sesurely to the sill without the use ofnails or screws or any other kind of securing means which would disfigure the sill.

Another object of. the invention is theprovision of a tray for supporting potted plants on a window sill, the tray having means thereon for engagement with the usual hand lift appliedto the lower bar of a window frame for retaining the tray against displacement from the sill, said tray having suflicient surface contact with the sill to insure retention of the tray thereon when the retaining means is in engagement with the hand lift.

A further object ofthe invention is the provision of. a tray for supporting potted plants on a window sill, an adjustable arm being provided with a curved member adapted to be seated within the curved hand lift usually, applied to the lower bar of a window frame, said arm being slidably mounted in a. guide rising from and secured to the tray with means for secur ing the arm in an adjusted position, means also being employed on thearm and straddlingthe hand lift for preventing shifting of" the tray when applied to the window sill;

The invention consists in the novel construc+ tion, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter more particularly described. and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is-a view in perspective of a tray shown as removably applied to a window sill.

Figure 2 isa transverse verticalsec'tion of the tray through the removable attachingmeans.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of a modified form of the tray and attaching means and Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross section through the window frame illustrating the sliding catch associated with the tray.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, i designates a lower window sash'havin'g the bottom bar 9 i equipped with the usual hand lifts I2. The sill l3- extends-inwardly into the room of a building in a horizontal plane.

The hand lifts I2 are formedintegrally with a plate i which is secured by means of screws -l to the inner 'fa'ceof the bottom bar H. The lifts are curved so that they maybe grasped comfortably by fingers of the operator. There are usually two lifts applied to each .bottombar of a window sash.

A tray, designated generally by the. numeral ZO-hasa bottom 2! which maybe flat or corrugated transversely as shown at 22. The tray has-vertically or angularly disposed sidewalls '23 and24 with theupper free edges. rolledasshown 2. at 7.501: the ireeledg'es maybe reinforced in any approved manner, as with a wire-stifiening means. I

A guidedesignated generallyby the-numeral 30 has a right-angular base- 3.! which is riveted or spot-weldedat 32 tothe inner surface of the bottomof the tray 20. with the guide in. flat contact .withthei-nner wall 23 of the tray; The vertical side edges 33 of the guide areinturned to provide in effect a pair of parallel groovesto receive the side edges of. anarm 35. The guide has acentrally disposed vertical. slot 3 6-for a purpose whichwill be presently, explained.

The arm 35-.also hasavertical slot 31. which alineswith the slot 36 .A threaded bolt-38 hav ing ahead39- whichis in contact with the. inner face of the arm is.-received..=by the slots 36 and 31. A: winged nut 40-threaded onto the outer endof-said bolt clampsthe arm 35 .in an adjusted position on the guide 30. v The upper free end of thearm 35-.hasamember 4! which is curved to. conform to the curvature of-the hand'lift 121 so that said curved member will fit neatly into said hand lift. A pair of spaced ears 42 formed integrally with the curved member 4| engage opposite edges of the member 'izi'and prevent rocking movement of the arm 35' and likewise the tray 20when 'saidtray is in an operative position on the sill I 3.

The tray is placed orr'the sill asillustrated -with the-- inner longitudinal wall '23 in close association with the botto'm'bar -|l ofthewindow sash l0 and with the curved member 4| in vertical alinement' with the hand lift 12'. The winged nut 40 has been loosened so that the arm 35 may be moved downwardly into th'eguid'e 30 to '-permit the reception of the-curved member 41 within the hand lift I 2.

With the inner wall 23 of 'the s'hel'f in theposition shown in'Figmes I and Z, where said wall is in snug engagement withthe bottom bar H of the window frame Hi, the arm is drawn upwardly and the: curved member 4| is forced intosnug engagement with thehand lift [2 with the ears-M engaged upon opposite sides of the hand lift. The nut dois thentightened. The tray 20 -is-ready foruse.

A modified form of theshel'fis illustrated in Figure 3. A- spring arm 3 designatedgenerallyby the numeral w has a" vertical portion 5| rising from a base' member '3"l-a which" is riveted or spot WeIded at 32 tothef corrugated bottom 22 of the -sheif 2 0 The remainder 'of the arm in the-form of: an ogee152: The curved freeend 53 engages ;beneath:the2-'curved.:hand=-litt: i=2 on the bar: it of the frame I'll; with thespaced ears. formed integrally on said free endrreceiving the hand lift.

Thermodified form". of 1 trayplaced in" posi+ tionby sliding the tray 20:. toward; the: :bar T with the bottom zofitheitray riding :on the: sill .13 until theifree end Semi the-spring amrsil con;

tacts the hand lift [2. The free end 53 is then snapped into position under the hand lift I2 while the tray is shifted to its final position shown in Figure 3. The free end of the spring arm may be assisted into position by applying pressure to a substantially horizontal position 54 of said spring arm.

The tray 20 in Figure 3 may also be placed in position by inserting the curved free end 53 of the spring arm 50 into the curved hand lift 12 with the tray tilted at an angle to the horizontal surface of the sill I3. The tray is then moved inwardly with the inner edge of the bottom of.

the tray being shifted to the position shown in Figure 3. Due to the ogee formation of the spring arm, the inner end of the tray may be raised slightly when it is moved into position to prevent injury to the surface of said sill.

The tray may be made of sheet metal, aluminum, plastic or any other suitable materials. The upper free edges of the side walls 23 and 24 may be formed into a bead when the shelf is manufactured from a plastic, otherwise the edges are rolled as a protection to the hands of the operator and may have a reinforcement of wire.

The tray may have any suitable length and width. When the tray is sufficiently long to extend approximately the length of the window sill l3, two attaching arms 35 or 50 are employed for engagement with the pair of hand lifts 12 secured normally to the window frame.

The bottom of the tray is sufficiently rigid to support the weight of the plants. Furthermore, the corrugations 22 not only aid in stiffening the bottom but provide a means for watering the plants through the perforated bottom of the pots when a predetermined level of water is main- I tained in the pan-like tray.

In order that the tray may be supported against displacement, in the event that the window is opened, opposed ends of the tray are provided with a sliding catch 55 having a knifelike edge adapted to engage between the moulding 56 and the sash ID, as shown in Figure 4.

I claim:

1. In a window sash having a bottom bar provided with a curved hand lift, a removable tray adapted to be supported on the window sill comprising a pan-like member having a portion adjacent one side edge resting on the sill, a vertical guide secured to the bottom of the member adjacent said side edge, an arm adjustably mounted in the guide and having a curved free end adapted to be seated within the curved hand lift, means for securing the arm in an adjusted position and said tray having'a sliding catch at opposite ends adapted to engage between said sash and-moulding strip of the window frame.

2. In a window sash having a bottom bar provided with a curved hand lift, a removable tray adapted to be supported on the window sill comprising a pan-like member having a portion adadapted to engage between said sash and moulding strip of the window frame.

3. In a window sash having a bottom bar provided with a curved hand lift, a removable tray adapted to be supported on the window sill comprising a pan-like member having a portion adjacent one side edge resting on the sill and an arm having one end secured to the bottom of the pan-like member adjacent said side edge and jacent one side edge resting on the sill, an arm having one end secured to the bottom of the panlike member adjacent said side edge, a vertically adjustable arm mounted on the first arm and having a free end, the free end of the second arm being curved and adapted to be seated in and beneath the curved hand lift for retaining the pan-like member in position on the window sill, and a pair of ears upstanding from the free end of the second arm and engageable with opposite edges of the hand lift to prevent rocking of the second arm.

5. In a. window sash having a bottom bar provided with a curved hand lift, a removable tray adapted to be supported on the window sill comprising a pan-like member having a portion adjacent one side edge resting on the sill, a vertical guide having a base secured to the bottom of the pan-like member adjacent said side edge thereof, an arm adjustably mounted in the guide and having a curved free end adapted to be seated in and beneath the curved handlift, the guide and arm being provided with alined slots, a headed bolt received by the slots and a nut threaded on to the bolt for maintaining the arm' in an adjusted position to retain the curvedend of said arm in snug engagement with the hand lift, and said trayhaving a sliding catch at opposite ends jacent one side resting on the sill, an arm rising from and connected to the bottom of the pan adjacent said side edge, and having a curved member adapted to be seated in and beneath the curved hand-lift on the bottom bar and cooperating with the window sill and the bottom of the pan-like member for retaining the last-mentioned member on the sill.

6. In a window sash having a bottom bar provided with a curved hand lift, a removable tray adapted to be supported on the window sill comprising a pan-like member having a portion adjacent one side edge resting on the sill, a vertical guide having a base secured to the bottom of the pan-like member adjacent said side edge thereof, an arm adjustably mounted in the guide and having a curved free end adapted to be seated in and beneath the curved hand lift, and ears rising from the curved end of the arm and engageable with opposite side edges of the hand lift to prevent rocking of said arm and pan-like member on the sill, the guide and arm being provided with alined slots, a headed bolt received by the slots and a nut threaded on to the bolt for maintaining the arm in an adjusted position to retain the curved end of said arm in snug engagement with the hand lift.

JOHN FREDERICK LIVINGSTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 200,083 Oviatt Feb. 5, 1878 483,069 Legg Sept. 20, 1892 852,225 Emmerich et al Apr. 30, 1907 1,179,061 Young Apr. 11, 1916 2,208,860 Smart July 23, 1940 2,223,074 Martin Nov. 26, 1940 2,353,365 Sanford July 11, 1944 2,431,752 Hilstrom Dec. 2, 1947 

